THE BOROUGH Council is on the lookout for a temporary venue to hold funeral services while improvement works are carried out at the town’s crematorium.
Officers are seeking an alternate venue to hold ceremonies throughout the summer as the facility, which was built over 40 years ago, undergoes renovations to meet increasing customer demand.
Cremations will still be carried out at the crematorium which sees on average, 1,800 cremations and 140 burials per year.
The works, which total £400,000, will see renovations to the interior, including the chapel and waiting area and improvements to the exterior of the building.
Michael Birkinshaw, the council’s bereavement services manager, added the cremators also require technical improvements as part of ongoing maintenance.
Redditch Borough Council’s executive member for environmental services, Councillor Debbie Taylor, said: “We are proud of our crematorium but the building was built in the 1970s and we need to make modifications to it so we can continue to provide this valuable service.
“Making the waiting area bigger will mean people won’t have to stand out in the rain and we are looking at the accesses so congregations don’t cross over on their way in and out of the building.”
The council said that although services will not be held at the chapel during the improvements, it is looking for a suitable venue nearby where people can say their final farewell to loved ones.
The work is set to start this summer and Redditch Borough Council pledges to keep customers informed.
